There were about 40 people in the room and only 20 of them were journalists, so who were all these other people? That is the question I found myself asking after the launch of Molly-Mae Hague's new Prime series Behind It All .
As she entered the room Molly-Mae paused before taking to the stage and was surrounded by not one but at least half a dozen of her entourage for a short discussion. There was her manager, several security guards, publicists and possibly even a stylist for final hair checks which surely could have been made before. And on top of that, of course multiple people filming her on cameras.
I have been at events featuring Hollywood movie stars, walked alongside Prince William at the Mirror's Pride Of Britain Awards and remember the mass hysteria on the streets when The X Factor was at its peak. But none of that matches up to the way Molly-Mae Hague's series was launched this week, with a high level of orchestrated planning, and in some ways sophisticated simplicity, to ensure journalists got something to write about, without really getting much of Molly-Mae at all.
I found her to be very likeable in person and when she spoke she sounded like a normal working mum keen to make her business Maebe thrive. But of course, most mums don't have over eight million followers on instagram and know exactly how things need to look and sound after six years in the spotlight.
Perhaps in part because of this, Molly-Mae knows she will have to open up in this series when it comes out. She insisted nothing has been "sugarcoated" and she added: "It feels right, everybody does take a look behind it all. Not that there was a facade but behind the Instagram, the socials. It is another layer. I think this just shows things on another level."
This is good news because we don't get beyond the surface layer at the launch. Strict rules kept things under control. Before arriving at the swish The Londoner hotel I was told I would have to sign an embargo form and then pick up a wristband to gain access. So far so normal at such events.
But we were also banned from taking any photos or video ourselves during the event which was unusual - especially when the host is filming it from every conceivable angle - and any questions we wanted to be asked had to be submitted in advance. There was no guarantee they would be asked and none of my more probing questions were used.
This meant when Molly-Mae did come out to sit in front of us to answer questions they were mainly soft and, dare I say it, seemed rehearsed between Molly-Mae and the show's exec producer Demi Doyle. They said they agreed to make the project together over a Chinese take away, so given their closeness this was not a tough interview. It was more two pals just discussing how they felt they had made an interesting TV series together.
Image:
Instagram/ @mollymae)"It doesn't feel like reality. It feels very premium," Molly-Mae said insisting like the hotel we were in, everything was of the highest quality.
There was one question about her on-off relationship with ex-fiance Tommy Fury but Molly-Mae did her best to not give too much away with her answer about it being "complicated" and she wasn't pressed for more.
After discussing how important her family were and some business ambitions the 23 minute conversion - taking place between two giant white rose vases - was finished. It had been constantly filmed by two cameramen, a sound engineer and fourth person using a phone, presumably to record for social media too.
Journalists were then quickly allowed selfie-style photos, taken next to a specially made sign with the title of the series, and were then ushered back out into the cold London air.
The whole Molly-Mae experience had lasted less than 30 minutes but the room had looked beautiful and both her make up and her answers had been near flawless. She had been lovely to (very briefly) speak to afterwards when I queued up to get my photos.
But it would be hard to draw any major conclusions from what she said, and I was left hoping the Prime series would have all the answers.
As I reflect now it still feels quite unusual to attend and be part of. And I say this as a long in the tooth journalist who has been writing about TV and streaming services for over 20 years.
I wish we had more time with her, could ask our own questions and that things were done differently. But behind it all, perhaps there is just a bit of jealousy from me that she can call the shots. And also some quiet admiration that this 25-year-old who I last interviewed on Love Island in 2019 is now worth over £6 million. If she asks me to come to listen to her talk for 20 minutes again tomorrow in a posh London hotel, I would be there.
* Molly-Mae: Behind It All eps 1-3 launch exclusively on Prime Video tomorrow(January 17). The latter three episodes will drop in Spring 2025.
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